Marching into the very presence of God

Pat and I have very good friends. One friend has distinguished himself with sharing great books. Bob and his wife Judy have perfected the art of finding literary treasures in thrift shops, yard sales, and other unlikely venues. I have tried to copy their skill but have much to learn before I can compete in their league. (The jump from Triple A to the major leagues is daunting!)

Bob mailed me a copy of Alan Redpath’s Victorious Christian Living: Studies in the Book of Joshua several weeks ago, a book which I believe ought to be in every preacher’s library. The one-time pastor of Moody Church in Chicago connects the Hebrew experience of crossing into the Land of Promise and developing the area as a successful homeland. The lessons are well organized and presented in extraordinary hermeneutic and homiletic form.

From within the pages of Victorious Christian Living I mined the following: "The Christian life is not intended to be a series of crises and emotional upheavals. The Christian life in the purpose of God is expected to be a steady, onward, triumphant march toward the goal, the very presence of God." As I reflect on those who have been instrumental in shaping my life, they embody Redpath’s axiom.

Otto and Annie Wegner, my parents, were the most significant "Steady Eddies" in my life. I cannot remember ever wondering if we would be attending church on Sunday. We did! Always! Revival meetings (some of which lasted five weeks or longer) were a staple in the spiritual diet – always, every night! I worked most Summer days with my father and never discovered him in an ethical or morally compromising position. Similarly, Annie demonstrated "a steady, onward, triumphant march toward the goal, the very presence of God."

Roy and Martha Kolas, Pat’s parents, mirrored the same culture of steadiness. In fact, Roy, who turns 91 years-old this week, still is saluted by his children and friends as, "Roy, the same yesterday, today and forever."

Those whom God has chosen to intersect our lives and has used to form us seldom are not high profile, public and powerful in the eyes of the masses. Their work is in obscure settings and quiet hours away from the ordinary traffic and noises of life. In my experience, Brothers Richard Adiska and Frank Nagy, quite ordinary men, gathered boys in a dingy space that abutted the church’s boiler room and taught us Bible stories in Sunday School. They reinforced their teaching with spiritual disciplines which I acquired as I observed and copied. Sisters Adiska and Nagy were interesting women, because they reinforced and complimented their spouses and added to the men’s stature.

Another Brother, Kurt Nierhaus, a German immigrant, seemed stern and difficult to approach, but I learned about passion in prayer by listening to his appeals to God.

A Brother Kaiser, an aged retired barber tootled on a raspy clarinet Sunday evenings, quietly signaled that one could and should rely on Jesus, even in old age.

Sister Kennedy, a spiritual refugee from Roman Catholicism and a single mother in an era when divorce was infrequent and carried a stigma, could be legalistic and disapproving, but she knew the lessons of Joshua and practiced "a steady, onward, triumphant march toward the goal, the very presence of God."

An obscure English professor in college was a "steady, onward, triumphant marcher." At the time, I could not understand how important Brother Despain was in my formation, but now . . . well, now I am beginning to grasp how impeccable the wisdom of God is. Brother Despain modeled serious engagement in Redpath’s rigorous march into the presence of God.

And, the march continues. My children are demonstrating dogged determination and daring decision-making as they march into the presence of God. This weekend I observed their quiet, consistent example. I don’t observe the behavior and models of the churches in which my grandchildren are learning the "steady, onward, triumphant march," but I pray for the churches and ask the Lord to send a Brother Adiska, a Sister Kennedy and a quiet Brother Despain across each of their paths.

If you are a quiet pilgrim, not too colorful and seldom recognized by the religious establishment, take heart! Your life is forming generations to come. I salute you and God celebrates every time you take another step forward into His Presence!